Analysis of high resolution transmission electron microscope images of crystalline–amorphous interfaces

• Published in: Ultramicroscopy 2002-04, Vol.90 (4), p.241-258
• Main Authors: Borgardt, N.I., Plikat, B., Seibt, M., Schröter, W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Electron, ion, and scanning probe microscopy; Exact sciences and technology; High-resolution electron microscopy (HREM); Image simulation; Interface structure and roughness; Physics; Solid surfaces and solid-solid interfaces; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Transmission, reflection and scanning electron microscopy(including ebic)
• ISSN: 0304-3991; 1879-2723
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3991(01)00153-X

For the analysis of images of homogeneous crystalline–amorphous interfaces we propose to average them along the interface obtaining the averaged interface image or the averaged intensity profile. Due to averaging, contrast components with the periodicity of the crystalline area of the image are extracted. Thus, the contrast features originating from the random overlap of the projected potentials of atoms in the amorphous layer are suppressed. It is shown that averaged images can be simulated by the multi-slice method using the novel approach to model the near interfacial amorphous structure by its mean atomic density distribution in front of the crystalline boundary. The crystalline structure is represented by its known atomic positions. We apply the proposed method to the investigation of the near interfacial short-range order in the c-Si/a-Ge crystalline–amorphous interface.